Gold Member

So, I am guessing you all are familiar with the tv show &#39;Idols&#39; right? I think the names vary country by country but you know what I&#39;m talking about.

When overseas I saw the Idols thing from the Us every now and then and I have to say I was kinda astounded. By several things. First...what the hell is Paula Abdul doing there? Second: I am gonna take a harsh stance maybe by saying I think it is a latent discrimination poll.

Like many of the jurors, I couldnt understand for the life of me why two VERY talented, beautiful African American girls (in Holland we say black, but some people might be uptight) got canned, for a chubby white girl that sang off key often, and a guy who makes off key sound great.

Something is very wrong here, and it smells fishy. America doesnt vote for quality but for something else...skin colour. At least thats how I see it.

Gold Member

Originally posted by Javierdude22@May 23 2004, 01:19 PMSomething is very wrong here, and it smells fishy. America doesnt vote for quality but for something else...skin colour. At least thats how I see it.

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Of course there&#39;s plenty of racism in the USA, but I don&#39;t think that&#39;s an adequate explanation for what happened with American Idol.

Here are two other explanations that I think are just as plausible.

Internet gambling. A number of online gambling sites are taking bets on the outcome of the show. (article). It&#39;s been noted that some people place bets on the longshot candidates, then phone-bombed the polls in hopes of winning big on their bets. This has the effect of hurting whoever&#39;s currently on top.

Schadenfreude. Our culture is media-obsessed with exploitation and watching the suffering of others. From the hillbilly catfights on Jerry Springer to the worm buffets on Fear Factor, Americans seem to like watching vulnerable people get humiliated on TV. We so enjoyed making fun of William Hung&#39;s performance of She Bangs that we gave the poor guy a record contract. I suspect a lot of the votes cast were for the weaker singers in hopes that maybe next week, they&#39;d really make a stinkbomb.

And finally, here&#39;s my theory:

Outright manipulation. The producers and underwriters of the show want the show to get high ratings, since that brings in greater ad revenues to FOX and bigger bonuses to the producers. Scandal and controversy generates higher ratings, more buzz, and more publicity for the show. So if the producers can manipulate the vote totals so that a favorite gets bumped in favor of a weaker candidate, that ultimately helps the show.

But how? Obviously, they can&#39;t deliberately &#39;fake&#39; the number of votes each contestant gets or alter the vote totals -- such a blatant manipulation would be noticed, and would not pass the independent audits. Consider this scenario instead: When a voter calls, they get a recorded message confirming that vote. What if the producers loaded, say, 0.3 seconds of dead air at the beginning of the recording that&#39;s on LaToya London&#39;s number one week? (Or alternatively, digitally slowed down the recording so that it took 0.3 seconds longer to play?) Callers would never noticed such a small delay, but the net result would be that callers to that number would have to stay on the line slightly longer to hear the confirmation message, and that would increase the number of busy signals callers got and decrease the number of calls that actually got through to that number. In the course of tens of thousands of votes, that small delay could make a significant difference in the outcome. Fewer votes are counted for Ms. London as a result of the delay, and so she gets bumped out one week. Voila -- instant controversy&#33;

By small manipulations in the confirmation recordings attached to each 1-866 number, the producers can, in effect, create the outcome they want, and still have an independent firm audit the vote totals in order to legitimize the outcomes.

Gold Member

It is very easy to pull the race card but I think that the local folks that sent those that have meade it farthest as well as some fans they have madealong the way have really been calling in.I hear in Atlanta There are people on the side of the road with signs saying "Vote for Diana". But you know, even if by fluke someone less that deserving wins they will not stay on top.You have to buy their albums .So it is just giving them a push out the door .THey have to do what is necessary to stay there.

I don&#39;t follow the drama that is American Idol. It seems to me to be a cross between Star Search and Survivor, and that strikes me as a very odd combination. Plus, there are enough bitter, bitchy queens around without having to turn on the TV and deal with Simon.

I agree, I could not believe Jennifer and LaToya got voted off so soon. LaToya could/should have easily been in the finals, her voice is amazing. But this is America, and apparently talent doesn&#39;t go for much. But I&#39;m content in the fact that they both will get record deals, both of which I will buy.

Gold Member

Hell, there&#39;s still a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a United Negro College Fund, so anyone who gets upset should have them change their name. LOL Sorry, but I never liked political correctness. (You noticed my joke about Teresa Heinz Kerry being African-American.)

My own theory about American Idol is that we&#39;re so used to Britney Spew and her numerous clones that we actually prefer bad singers.